Let’s get Sophia Joyce to Disneyland Paris

Hello all :)

As many of you know, Caroline has endured more challenges in the last 5 years than many would encounter in a lifetime.

This go fund me is set up to provide a platform for Caroline and friends of Caroline to come together to raise funds to send her, her devoted husband Dave (Jasper), and beautiful baby Sophia, to Disneyland Paris.

We are asking for fundraising ideas & offers of participation in those ideas, from everyone who knows Caroline and her family. This space will update with news of fundraising events, so please send any fundraising ideas you have to Caroline, Jasper, Danny Clegg, Ben Croxall, Pete Coughlin.

The story of Caroline since 2018 (ad-libbed from Caroline’s own account of events)

Caroline was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 at the age of just 31. Through a long and horrendously difficult chemotherapy treatment, driven her own sheer strength and determination, she beat it. In 2019 she received the all-clear, and married her amazing husband Jasper.

Life was going well, and Caroline and Jasper looked to starting a family. This was met with further difficulties as they were unable to conceive, so they went onto the list awaiting IVF. Caroline received the fantastic news that IVF was scheduled, and both were over the moon. However, in the time before IVF was due to start, nature had other ideas and Caroline fell pregnant and their dream of a family was now very real, and a miracle neither had expected.

Caroline and Jasper went to see their growing baby for the first time at the 10 week scan. They got to see and hear their miracle baby’s heart beat for the first time.

However, What should have been the happiest time of their lives, was soon crushed hours later when Caroline was told that another scan revealed that the breast cancer had returned as metastasis to her sternum. Caroline had assumed the pain she had been experiencing was acid reflux, and on a day that had started with such moments of intense happiness, was crushed with this devastating news.

Caroline was facing the most difficult and cruel decisions - terminate her miracle pregnancy so she could have another course of chemotherapy, or continue with the pregnancy and accept that the treatment would be focused on “stalling” progression until she was far enough in her term to be able to have her baby by caesarian, and then go immediately onto the course of treatment for the cancer which was now metastasised to her sternum, and 3 places in her spine.

In April 2022, still not far enough through the pregnancy to deliver, the cancer had now spread to her brain. Caroline was determined to bring her child into the world, and see her family dream come true.

Sophia Seren arrived into the world at 34 weeks and had to spend time in neo-natal for 8 weeks. Just 9 days after giving birth by Caesarian section, and still bonding with Sophia, Caroline started a course of radiotherapy to the brain.

Further scans revealed that rib pain she experienced during pregnancy was actually a pathologically fractured rib caused by the bone cancer, and a similar process had now spread and caused damage to her hip

She Started a course of Palbociclib - during cycle 1 suffered a blood clot and allergic reaction. At a time when all Caroline wanted to do was be home, be a mum to Sophia, she was repeatedly admitted to hospital, and Caroline was feeling at her lowest point since the very first diagnosis back in 2018.

Later in 2022 the cancer has spread further through the bones and the tumour on the spine had grown. Spinal radiotherapy caused a bad reaction and the worst pain ever imaginable, so she ended up back in in palliative unit for 3 weeks (told reaction is caused by paraneoplastic myelitis, which is basically inflammation of muscles around the body, as an extension of the cancer)

Cycle 2 of Palbociclib caused Caroline to end up in hospital due to a kidney infection on Christmas eve! She had the same allergic reaction as cycle 1, only this time the rash spread to her beautiful face as well). This was Sophia’s first Christmas, and Caroline had already spent 1 Christmas in hospital for the first cancer diagnosis, but this one hurt more than any physical pain ever could.

Feb 23 end up in pallative unit again unable to walk a few steps without falling. This is a result of the cancer, the treatment, and now Caroline is having to come to terms with her permanent loss of mobility, at a time when all she wants to do is be at home with her husband and daughter.

The past year Caroline has gone from being normal, to being unable to walk at times, or even pick up and comfort her baby.

Caroline was advised multiple times to end the pregnancy, but she will NEVER regret her decision. Sophia is a miracle for many reasons, but if Caroline hadn't somehow fallen pregnant naturally, she would have had her IVF canceled straight away due to the second cancer diagnosis, nor would she ever have had the ability to adopt.

Recently Caroline discovered that the brain tumour which had been targeted with treatment to shrink or eliminate it, has now grown. She is determined not to let this beat or defeat her, but has now made it her absolute mission to raise money so she can take Sophia to Disneyland Paris with her husband, or to (in her words) “make sure there is money for her to go”.

It is a heart-breaking account of her life over the last 5 years, and it’s important to let all of you know just how amazingly strong and determined Caroline has been. She is a beautiful woman in heart, body and soul. Nobody is deserving of what has happened to her, and nobody is more deserving to be a mother and wife. We all know her, we have all been inspired by her, and I know we will all come together to do what we can to raise the money needed to send her, Sophia and Jasper to create this lasting family memory in their minds.